Essays and reviews on the horror films streaming on Shudder. From Possum and Fréwaka to Hellraiser, The Rule of Jenny Pen and the rise of beauty horror, we look past the thumbnail at what makes each film work, or fail.
Kit Whitfield’s What’s On Shudder column puts Lizzie Borden films on trial, from Lizzie on Shudder to The Legend of Lizzie Borden 1975 and Lizzie Borden Took An Ax. Then she turns to Angela Carter’s Lizzie Borden, told in The Fall River Axe Murders and Lizzie’s Tiger, to ask why nobody can quite pin this woman down.
Matthew Holness’s Possum isn’t just another psychological horror film with a monster-as-metaphor. It’s a devastating study of childhood trauma and the unheimliche — the state of being without home, without self. Sean Harris’s performance as Philip makes you live inside the aftermath of abuse rather than simply observe it.
This horror sequel fails at character, suspense, and basic storytelling. Read the full Influencers movie review. … Influencers Movie Review: A Bad Horror Sequel That Forgets What Made the First Film Interesting Because you bastards made me watch it!Read more
How do you make a Hellraiser? The secret ingredient is love. No, really. Content warning: we’re … How do you make a Hellraiser? The secret ingredient is love. No, really.Read more
Do All Dogs Really Go To Heaven? Good Boy (Ben Leonberg, 2025), Good Boy (Viljar Bøe, … Good Boys, Do All Dogs Really Go To Heaven?Read more
What We Don’t Talk About When We Make Films About Trans Killers Psycho, A Woman Kills, … The Trans Killer Trope: A Harmful Legacy in Horror and the Films Fighting BackRead more
Beauty Horror: the gore-geous fairy tale micro-genre The Substance (Coralie Fargeat, 2024) and The Ugly Stepsister … Beauty Horror: The gore-geous fairy tale micro-genreRead more
Why is The Rule of Jenny Pen so divisive? Want to find an interesting watch by … Why is The Rule of Jenny Pen so divisive?Read more
Yes, These ARE Your Mother’s Fairies Fréwaka and the trauma of a nation. Content warnings: suicide, … Fréwaka and the Trauma of a Nation.Read more
King of the Gimmick House on Haunted Hill and The Tingler: William Castle and the astonishing! … William Castle, The King of the GimmickRead more
